The Piedmont Bulldogs dropped a pair of Class 2A, Area 12 games to Pleasant Valley on Monday and Tuesday of last week and fell out of contention for a place in the Class 2A baseball playoffs. “It’s just one of those situations where we picked the wrong time of the year not to play complete games,” said Piedmont coach Steve Smith.
Smith noted that pitching and defense had carried the Bulldogs early in the season but that defense had waned as hitting improved recently.
Wet grounds at Piedmont yesterday forced the first game of the 2A, Area 12 series with Sand Rock to be played in Sand Rock. Sand Rock and Piedmont will play at Piedmont today at 4 p.m.
Wednesday Glencoe comes to Piedmont for a single game at 4:30 p.m.
Monday of last week at Piedmont, Pleasant Valley won 6-2 in eight innings. The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead in the first inning as Shaughn Rankin walked and Kyle Glover singled.
A single by Seth Reedy scored Rankin and moved Glover to third. Glover then scored on a wild pitch.
Seth Reedy had two singles and was the only Bulldog with two hits. Kirk Pope had 10 strikeouts but took the loss.
Tuesday saw Piedmont travel to Pleasant Valley and dropped a 10-5 decision. The Raiders scored eight times in the bottom of the fourth. Glover was the losing pitcher. His double was Piedmont’s big hit.
The Bulldogs closed the week on a much more positive note Thursday. Piedmont led Section 5-2 after the Lions batted in the top of the sixth. In the home half of the sixth, the Bulldogs scored seven times to end the game on the 10-run rule.
Wesley Minton belted a grand slam home run – scoring Seth Reedy, Glover and Rankin ahead of him – to make the score 10-2.
Pope followed Minton’s blast with a single. With two out, Corey Sears was hit by a pitch. Derek McElroy reached on an error to load the bases. Rankin’s infield single scored Pope. Sears scored when Glover reached on an error and the game ended.
Section had taken an early 2-0 lead. A two-run base hit by Darrius Jackson scored Pope and Chase Childers to tie the game in the second.
Piedmont went ahead 3-2 in the third inning when Elliott Reedy singled home Seth Reedy. In the fifth, Elliott Reedy’s double scored Glover. Later in the inning, Minton reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second and third and scored when Pope had a single.
Every Piedmont starter had at least one hit in the win over Section. Pope was 3-for-4. Elliott Reedy went 2-for-3. Both McElroy and Rankin were 2-for-5.
Elliott Reedy pitched the six-inning complete game. He allowed two hits, struck out eight and walked no one.
